On Oct. 6, a Delta Air Lines Airbus A350 hit the tail of an Air Canada Boeing 777 while taxiing for departure at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The collision left the wingtip stuck in the Air Canada aircraft.
What happened?
At around 10:30 a.m. local time, Delta flight DL7 bound for Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) was on a taxiway near Terminal 6 when it scraped the Boeing 777’s (registered C-FIVK) right horizontal stabiliser with its left wingtip. At the time, Air Canada‘s flight AC785 from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) was being towed when it stopped short of its gate after arriving earlier that morning.
Images of the incident show the collision tore off the Airbus A350’s (registered N512DN) wingtip, which was stuck in the Boeing 777’s stabiliser.
No passengers or crew members on either flight have reported injuries. Both aircraft have been removed from service for further inspection and repairs.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it has started investigating the incident, while the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has also been notified of the collision.
Aftermath of the collision
The FAA has released a statement, saying:
“Delta Air Lines Flight 7 was taxiing for departure when its left wingtip clipped the horizontal stabilizer of Air Canada Flight 785. The Air Canada flight was being towed when it stopped short of its gate.”
The FAA will investigate why the Boeing 777 stopped short of its gate and how its position related to the A350’s path. Until the investigation concludes, both aircraft remain grounded at LAX while inspections and repairs take place.
Delta replaced flight DL7 with another A350, which eventually took off in the evening. After an eight-hour delay, the aircraft departed at 6:08 p.m.
C-FIVK was originally scheduled to operate a return service to Toronto, flight AC786, at 11:55 a.m., but has been cancelled with no information about a reschedule.
What are your thoughts on this incident involving a Delta Air Lines A350 and an Air Canada Boeing 777? Let us know in the comments.
